The male penis includes a pair of corpora cavernosa located laterally within the penis, a pair of penile arteries situated deep within their respective corpora cavernosa, dorsal penal veins and a neurovascular bundle located along an upper portion of the penis, a corpus spongiosum located along a lower portion of the penis, a urethra located within the corpus spongiosum, and stretchable skin surrounding thereabout. Generally, in the male penis, an erection is produced when arterial blood flows to the erectile tissues of the penis with the veinal return flow of blood to the body restricted so that the erectile tissues become filled or engorged with blood. The restriction is normally performed by sphincter muscles which function in response to sexual arousal. Some men have various problems, e.g., advancing age, physiological or psychological problems, or premature relaxation prior to completion of coitus. This often leaves these men unsatisfied with the sex act process.
Vacuum erection therapy is recognized as a potential remedy, preferable to many other treatments of erection dysfunction such as injections, venous and arterial surgery, or implantation of a penile prosthesis. It provides a firm erection in the shortest time, without need of sexual arousal and can be faster than pills. Vacuum treatment devices include a vacuum chamber with an open end serving as a passage for the penis and a closed end connected to a vacuum pump. To achieve an erection the penis is inserted into the open end of the vacuum chamber, which is pressed to the abdomen to form an airtight seal. A vacuum is then generated in the chamber with the manually or electrically operated pump. The vacuum inside the chamber causes blood flow into the penis which thereby produces an erection. The vacuum, however, must be removed for coitus, and thus, the erection can be lost.
By the recognition that penile arteries are located primarily in the deep interior of the male penis, and the return veins are located in a sub-dermal region along the surface of the organ, it has been known to secure a band of material around the base of the penis closely adjacent a user's body to restrict the return veinal blood flow. This assists in maintaining an erection while the arterial flow remains substantially unimpeded, i.e., the arteries are deep within the organ and protected from pressure by the erectile tissue.
Over the years, various vacuum treatment devices for treating a patient's male sexual organ have been developed. Various types and configurations of penile tension devices for assisting in the restriction of the return veinal blood flow also have been developed. Although the size and shape of patients' penises vary greatly, proper sizing of vacuum chambers and penile tension devices has remained a difficult process for patients.